Azebas
The Bolivarian Republic of Azebas (more commonly Azebas [Ah-zEE-bas] or unofficially Venezuela) is a nationalist presidential dictatorship located in northern South America. Azebas was founded after the Political Crisis of 2007 shook the American petroleum interests in Venezuela temporarily, allowing for billionaire industrialist Antonio Guerro Santiéz to overthrow the Venezuelan government with the assistance of defectors in the Venezuelan Armed Forces. Azebas is bordered by Colombia to the west, Trinidad and Tobago and the Carribean to the north, Suriname to the east and Brazil to the south. Azebas has a combined land area of 1,131,415 square kilometers with a population of 29,858,572. The country has an extremely high biodiversity rate, with habitats ranging from the Andes mountains in the west to the Amazon Basin in the East. Shortly after the establishment of Azebas on October 7th, 2007, Santiéz nationalized the petroleum industry and distributed funds evenly in gifts to the impoverished. He gained much support for his actions, and soon Santiéz had came into the possession of funds large enough to create a defense industry. With a functioning nationalized defense and petroleum industry, Azebas launched an invasion of neighboring Guyana, annexing the country after seven months of fighting. With the end of hostilities in 2009, the country experienced an economic boom period of increased domestic market growth. Azebas' unemployment rates lowered and the national income average raised significantly higher with the establishment of the ENFA, which granted government subsidies to people living on less than $1 a day. No deficit was reported in 2010, which revealed the government's policy of nationalization of major industries was successful to a large degree. The economic growth continued into 2011, where it stagnated and finally returned to a normal level. The economy has overall experienced a positive reaction to the dissolution of the United States. Azebas is a unitary nationalist presidential dictatorship, under the supreme rule of the President of Azebas. The President's actual power is vested in the creation of laws and enactments, but the enforcement of these policies is left to the Armed Forces of Azebas. The President's Council of Advisers serve only to manage the government's interests that do not directly need the attention of the President himself. While being a dictatorship, Azebas still retains a certain level of freedom that is characterized by the rebel roots of the country's predecessors. However, some groups are oppressed to a safe degree as display that the President and his successors retain supreme and absolute power over the people. Another contradictory fact is that the economic freedom of the nation is also high, despite that the government can at any time take over entire industries. The GDP per capita is currently $19,893, and the national GDP is $593.976 billion. Azebas is currently ranked as a developing economy, but analysts believe the county can become a first world nation with its current economic standing being maintained for several more years. History Azebas' initial roots come from the long term planning of billionaire industrialist Antonio Guerro Santiéz, who wanted the Republic of Venezuela to use its petroleum resources to establish a South American superpower. Santiéz worked hard throughout his initial career to create a massive lumber and produce empire, birthing one of the largest corporations in South America until the Chavez government nationalized his industry. Angry, Santiéz swore revenge on Chavez and began preparations for an overthrow of the Venezuelan government. He made contact with his father's friend General Carlos Carmona, who also wished for the pseudo-communist government to be outed and replaced. From 2004 to 2006, Santiéz and Carmona planned a large coup d'etat that would only be effective if foreign interests were at an all time low in the country. With the Political Crisis of 2007 that ruptured in the United States, General Carmona launched his coup, with financial and political backing from Santiéz. Their overthrow of the Venezuelan government was a success, and Santiéz established the Bolivarian Republic of Azebas on August 29th, 2007. Hugo Chavez was arrested and put into a maximum security prison along with key members of his administration. As most of the Armed Forces took part in the formation of the new government, the only thing that General Carmona requested be done was the modernization of his army's equipment. This gave Santiéz an initiative to form his own national defense industry. However, he could not form an entirely new segment of the economy without the popular support of the people. To gain such support, Santiéz and General Carmona launched an invasion of Guyana just a week after the formation of the new government. The new government displayed propaganda that the soldiers fighting for Azebas in Guyana could not properly win the war without new weapons. The propaganda successfully swayed enough people to request that new defense equipment be purchased. Santiéz had a foresight of this, and thus pushed the requests of the people that a defense industry be created in Azebas to support the armed forces, stating that it would create jobs and improve the quality of life. The movement gained much support and Compañía de Defensa Nacional Azebas was founded on October 18th, 2007. CDNA utilized the resources of Azebas itself, and designed weapons that would be unique to the Armed Forces. The national defense company also was owned entirely by the government, allowing for the accumulation of funding for new research to be quick. With newer weapons that had been mass produced, the Azebans defeated the Guyanese easily on June 23rd, 2008. After the annexation of Guyana, the President initiated a series of economic reforms that would benefit corporations rather than directly the government. Taxes from the Chavez administration were reduced notably, and new subsidies would be provided to the unemployed and impoverished. The government regulation in the economy was also tuned down, and foreign investment in the economy was discouraged by the new government. Santiéz still held onto the government's nationalization of the petroleum and defense industries, as he did not plan on letting the new free market interfere with the most important parts of his financial support. Several socialist based economic plans were eliminated by the President, who in turn provided government funds towards infrastructure and subsidized housing. Within months, the structure of the nation was rearranged to support large scale growth. And the anticipated growth actually occurred when the government returned normal foreign investing in the country, as domestic markets began to overlap the foreign companies who entered certain sectors. The government's support of domestic companies and reduced taxes and regulations for such companies shifted a large economic boom that shut off a large number of foreign corporations from further economic development in Azebas. Finally, the government ended several programs that gave American and European corporations benefits for involvement in the economy. The new domestic markets saw increased profit and growth, causing the overall quality of life for the national populace to increase. The formerly impoverished and homeless were provided with quality government housing, and repairs were made on homes that looked as if they could not withstand any more use. The nation's roadways and sewage systems were taken over with direct control by the national government and repaired. By the end of 2010, the economy had grown to double it size. Economic growth stabilized in early 2011, and the President began to overview his accomplishments. He formulated that Azebas would be able to continue its stabilized growth to create a moderate power in the globe by 2020, a theory which is accepted by analysts. Geography Azebas is located geologically on the South American continent and plate. All territory that is controlled by Azebas lays within the range of the Equator to 13°N and 48° to 74°W. Azebas has a land area of 1,131,415 square kilometers, or 436,842 square miles. Shaped roughly like an inverted triangle, the country has a 2,800 km (1,700 mi) coastline in the north, which includes numerous islands in the Caribbean Sea, and in the northeast borders the northern Atlantic Ocean. Most observers describe Azebas in terms of four fairly well-defined topographical regions: the Maracaibo lowlands in the northwest, the northern mountains extending in a broad east-west arc from the Colombian border along the northern Caribbean coast, the wide plains in central Azebas, and the Guiana highlands in the southeast. The northwestern mountains are the northern most extent of the Andes Range. They hold the highest point in Azebas, Pico Bolivar. The Guiana highlands in the south contain the northern fringes of the Amazon Basin, and are home to the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls. Table like mountains called tepuis make up the most of the highlands. The central part of the country, around the Orinoco River Basin, are characterized by extensive plains known as llanos. The Orinoco is the largest river in Azebas, with vast amounts of alluvial soil. Azebas' most abundant natural resources include natural gas, petroleum, iron ore, gold and other minerals. Azebas is also home to large amounts of arable land and fresh water. Climate Azebas is located entirely in the tropics, with the northern most degree of the country only being near 13°N. The climate varies on location. The high lands in the north and south have an average temperature of around 16°C in the winter and 31°C in the summer. The low lands in the east, central and west maintain an average temperature of 21°C in the winter and 36°F in the summer. Rainfall is consistent in the country. The high lands receive rainfall of 450mm, while the low lands can reach as high as 1 meter. The rainfall in the country is highest during a period between August and October. Overall, the climate is dry and mild in the highlands, and wet and warm in the lowlands. Politics and government The President is the figurehead and supreme absolute representation of all governing power within Azebas. The President has executive control over the entirety of the government, and cannot be elected nor impeached. The succession orders for the President are the oldest child of the incumbent President or a selected heir. The President selects a Presidential Council that drafts laws or enactments they see necessary. The President can either approve or deny these legislative creations, and the President can draft laws themselves without any higher approval. The President's council has certain responsibilities they must manage themselves, if the President does not see the actions to be necessarily managed by themselves. The Armed Forces also has considerable say in the government, as the President usually must work with the General of the Army to formulate important decisions both on a domestic and international level. Foreign relations Azebas maintains considerable relations with most western and Latin American nations. Its most prominent allies include Colombia, Spain and Nicaragua. Cuba is the only country in the Americas that has had a period of bad relations with Azebas, as the current government overthrew a Socialist regime. Despite this, Cuba still upholds good relations with Azebas. The open market policy of the nation is largely attributed to the fact that foreign interest int the country serves some good, however some larger economic powers have expressed their displeasure at the tight regulations on foreign activity in the Azeban markets. Armed forces The Armed Forces of the Bolivarian Republic of Azebas (Las Fuerzas Armadas de la República Bolivariana de Azebas) are the unified military forces of Azebas. The Fuerzas Armadas are composed of four main sections; the Azeban Army, the Azeban Navy, the Azeban Air Forces and the Azeban National Guard. There are 605,070 currently enlisted in the Fuerzas Armadas, but not all are entirely active. At the age of 22, all citizens must serve at least one year in one of the branches. The Army (Ejército Azebana) is the collective ground forces of the Armed Forces. The Army is used for offensive measures against other nations, as well as the large scale defense of the nation's entirety. The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, but he can be overridden by the General's own authority. While the General is expected to uphold the President's decisions, there is no document that limits the amount of free will he has in his own decisions. The Army is almost entirely self sufficient, but most infantry weapons are being imported from the Russian Federation. There are 270,070 people enlisted in the Army. The Navy (Marina Azebana) is the maritime forces of the Armed Forces. They specialize in sea-to-sea assaults, as Azebas is located on an extensive coastline. The Navy has only the authority of the Commander-in-Chief, as not official within the Navy can decide against him. The Navy's ships are almost all new, as the defense industry in Azebas is also relatively new. The equipment the sailors use is also from Azebas, and the clothes they wear were all created in Maracaibo. There are 195,000 enlisted in the Navy, and a total of 70 ships. The Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Azebana) is the aerial forces of the Armed Forces. They are mostly trained for air-to-air combat, however they operate air-to-ground coordinated measures for support of the Army or Navy. They are primarily a combat branch with some support roles, but their branch has some of the most deadliest operations in the Armed Forces. The Air Force's planes are imported, however the President wishes to create his own airplanes with the CNDA. The President is the Commander-in-chief of the Air Force, and there is no authority inside the Air Force that is greater than his. There are 90,000 people enlisted in the Air Force, and a total of 564 planes. The National Guard (Guardia Nacional Azebana) is the civil control forces of the Armed Forces. They operate to suppress violent civil uprisings, and take care of dissidents that constantly show as a threat to national stability. The National Guard is only active when a large populace-based uprising occurs, and they are to non-violently suppress such uprisings. If the civil body fights back in the manner of a rebellion, then the National Guard is to attack only those who attack them. Rebel groups, such as the People's Liberation Army of Venezuela, are to be completely capitulated by the National Guard. The National Guard uses the same equipment as the Army. There are 50,000 people enlisted in the National Guard. Economy Azebas is a developing mixed economy, and a large percentage is made up of the petroleum sector. Petroleum reserves, refining and exports make up one sixth of the economy, around $100 billion annually. The nation has a national GDP of $652.320 billion, meaning that the per capita GDP is at $21,847. In 2007 36% of the national population lived in poverty, and with the forming of Azebas this number lowered significantly to only 7% by 2009. The national price of petroleum was raised to an amount that citizens would be discouraged from using the product, however the government can use however much it needs at virtually no fee. 75% of national reserves are in gold, located in an undisclosed bank building in Caracas. Azebas' government has made the petroleum industry extremely hard business for foreign companies, with very tight regulations on subsidies, workers and other forms of red tape. Instead of a foreign market based economic structure, the government has nationalized the petroleum industry, and openly invites native Venezuelans and Guyanese to invest in the industry instead. The result of this is a tightly controlled petroleum market which now only makes up a smaller portion of the nation's wealth than it used to. The government has given subsidies and funds to manufacturing and agriculture corporations to increase their output, creating a domestic market already two times its original size since 2007. Now, manufacturing makes up a whole 37% of the economy, agriculture at 23% and services at 20%. Petroleum is at 20%, less than half its original size in the economy. The rate at which the economy is becoming a first world nation and developed economy is estimated to be 60% higher than the original rate in 2007. Because the government shifted national interests towards self reliance in 2008, the economy was virtually unaffected by the global recession of 2007. Transportation Azebas is connected to the rest of the globe primarily through air and sea methods. As the Amazon Rainforest has made it difficult to transit across land borders, Azebas' economic centers are located near bodies of water. Major seaports include La Guiara, Maracaibo and Puerto Cabello. Major international airports include Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas and La Chinita International Airport near Maracaibo. The government has put large amounts of funds in rail transportation, and nationalized the railway system in 2009 to create ETT. The funding has created a large rail transportation system that connects over 200 cities and is centered in Caracas, Georgetown and Maracaibo. Azebas has a formidable road network system of over nearly 140,000 kilometres, all of which has been repaved within the last three years. Energy Azebas has the largest collection of petroleum in the Western hemisphere, but does not use primarily conventional energy production methods. Instead, the government has given funding towards a collection of companies to create renewable energy sources for the economy to develop off of. The current percentage of conventional energy production to renewable energy methods is 75% renewable and only 25% conventional. Out of the renewable energy methods, solar power and self reliance energy production dominates around 50% of all energy produced. The next 25% is made up entirely of wind power, as hydroelectricity is dangerous to the nation's diverse river populations. The last 25% of the national energy is made up of combined coal and natural gas methods, but the level of this is diminishing quickly. Culture Demographics See also Category:Azebas Category:Nations Category:MineCraftian's Stuff